The present invention relates to a winding device for winding a split-type stator core of a rotating electric machine of an outer rotor type.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-402936 assigned to the assignee of this patent application discloses a prior method of winding a split stator core of an outer rotor type rotating electric machine, whereby the stator core can be easily assembled at a time in a state that a plurality of core elements 4 are arranged in a circular form in such a manner that the core elements divided into magnetic pole units each composed of a yoke 1, a magnetic pole 2 and a claw 3 can be coupled with one another at yokes 1 allowing shifting each unit in a specified range in the circumferential direction as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.
Each core element 4 is provided with a downward projecting arm 5 at a lower part on one side of the yoke 1 and an upward projecting arm 6 at an upper part on the other side. The downward projecting arm 5 has a notch 7 and the upward projecting arm 6 has a notch 8. As shown in FIG. 2, adjacent core elements 4 can be coupled with each other by engaging the downward projecting arm 5 of one element with the upward projecting arm 6 of the other element in the state allowing mutually sliding in a specified range D in the adjoining (circumferential) direction.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a specified number of core elements 4 are arranged in a ring-shaped state allowing adjacent core elements to move their downward and upward projecting arms 5 and 6 in the circumferential direction so that, when a small force f is applied to the circumference of the core elements, the core elements 4 can be moved toward the center of the circle and assembled at a time in such a way that one core element 4 engages its downward projecting arm 5 with an upward projecting arm 6 of another adjacent element and its upward projecting arm 6 with a downward projecting arm of another adjacent element. This stator core 9 is also featured by providing large claws 3 of core elements to form a reduced gap therein so as to achieve the even distribution of magnetic flux, thereby improving the output power efficiency. However, core elements 4 having large claw parts 3 in the assembled state can not provide gaps enough to freely pass a wire to be wound on each of the core elements. Therefore, these core elements 4 are provided each at its magnetic pole part 2 and claw part 3 with a bobbin 10 having a coil 11 wound thereon in advance and then assembled together followed by connecting windings between the bobbins.
Alternatively, core elements arranged in a line are provided with a specified turns of wire continuously on an element-by-element basis by using a special continuous winding machine disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-64962.
The problem to be solved is how to make wind ings of the split type stator core which does not allow windings in the assembled state because gaps formed between claws of core elements are not enough to pass a winding wire.
The prior art method for providing each of the core elements with windings in advance and assembling them into a single stator core requires a large amount of complicated treatment with windings.
The conventional method for making windings of core elements arranged in line requires the use of a special winding machine and requires treatment with windings of the cores and laborious assembling of the core elements into a single stator core unit.